ACT TWO Scene One
A Sea-port in Cyprus．An open place near the quay
［Enter MONTANO and two Gentlemnen］
MONTANO
What from the capecan you discernat sea？
First Gentleman
Nothing at all：it is a highwroughtflood；
I cannot，’twixtthe heaven and the main，
Descrya sail．
MONTANO
Methinks the wind hath spoke aloud at land；
A fuller blast．ne’ershook our battlements：
If it hath ruffian’dso upon the sea，
What ribsof oak，when mountains melt on them，
Can hold the mortise？What shall we hear of this？
Second Gentleman
A segregationof the Turkish fleet：
For do but stand upon the foamingshore，
The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds ；
The wind－shaked surge，with high and monstrous mane，
seems to cast water on the burning bear，
And quenchthe guards of the ever-fixed pole：
I never did like molestationview
On the ehchafedflood
MONTANO
If that the Turkish fleet
Be not enshelter’dand embay’d，they are drown’d：
It is impossible they bear it out．
［Enter a third Gentleman］
Third Gentleman
News，lads！our wars are done．
The desperatetempest hath so bang’d．the Turks，
That their designment halts．：a noble ship of Venice
Hath seen a grievouswreckand sufferance
On most part of their fleet．
MONTANO
How！is this true？
Third Gentleman
The ship is here put in，
A Veronesa；Michael Cassio，
Lieutenant to the warlikeMoor Othello，
Is come on shore：the Moor himself at sea，
And is in full commission here for Cyprus．
MONTANO
I am glad on’t；’tis a worthygovernor．
Third Gentleman
But this same Cassio，though he speak of comfort
Touchingthe Turkish loss，yet he looks sadly，
And prays the Moor be safe；for they were parted
With foul and violent tempest．
MONTANO
Pray heavens he be；
For I have served him，and the man commands
Like a full soldier Let’s to the seaside，ho！
As well to see the vessel that’s come in
As to throw out our eyes forbrave Othello，
Even till we make the main and the aerialblue
An indistinctregard．
Third Gentleman
Come，let’s do so：
For every minute is expectancy
Of more arrivance．
［Enter CASSIO］
CASSIO
Thanks，you the valiant of this warlike isle，
That so approve the Moor！O，let the heavens
Give him defence against the elements，
For I have lost us him on a dangerous sea．
MONTANO
Is he well shipp’d？
CASSIO
His barkis stoulytimber’d，his pilot
Of very expert and approved allowance；
Therefore my hope，not surfeitedto death，
Stand in boldcure．
［A cry within ‘A sail，a sail，a sail’！Enter a fourthGentleman］
CASSIO
What noise？
Fourth Gentleman
The town is empty；on the browo’the sea
Stand ranks of people，and they cry’A sail！’
CASSIO
My hopes do shape him for the governor
［Guns heard］
Second Gentlemen
They do discharge their shot of courtesy：
Our friends at least．
CASSIO
I prayyou，sir，go forth，
And give us truth who’tis that is arrived．
Second Gentleman
I shall．
［Exit］
MONTANO
But，good lieutenant，is general wived？
CASSIO
Most fortunately：he hath achieved a maid
That paragons descriptionand wildfame；
One that excelsthe quirksof blazoningpens，
And in the essentialvestureof creation
Does tirethe ingener
［Re-enter second Gentleman］
How now！who has put in
Second Gentleman
‘Tis one Iago，ancient to the general
CASSIO
Has had favourable and happy speed ：
Tempests themselves，high seas，and howling winds，
The gutter’drocks and congregatedsands——
Traitorsensteep’dto clogthe guiltlesskeel，——
As having sense of beauty，do omit
Their mortal natures，letting go safely by
The divineDesdemona．
MONTANO
What is she？
CASSIO
She that I spakeof，our great captain’s captain，
Left in the conduct of the boldIago，
Whose footing here anticipatesour thoughts
A se’nnight’sspeed．Great Jove，Othello guard，
And swellhis sail with thineown powerful breath，
That he may blessthis baywith his tall ship，
Make love’s quick pantsin Desdemona’s arms，
Give renew’d fire to our extinctedspirits
And bring all Cyprus comfort！
［Enter DESDEMONA，EMILIA，IAGO，RODERIGO，and Attendants］
O，behold，
The riches of the ship is come on shore！
Ye men of Cyprus，
let her have your knees．
Hail to thee，lady！and the grace of heaven，
Before，behind thee，and on every hand，
Enwheelthee round！
DESDEMONA
I thank you，valiantCassio．
What tidingscan you tell me of my lord？
CASSIO
He is not yet arrived：nor know I aught
But that he’s well and will be shortly here．
DESDEMONA
O，but I fear——How lost you company？
CASSIO
The great contention of the sea and skies
Partedour fellowship——But，hark！a sail．
［Within’A sail，a sail！’Guns heard］
Second Gentleman
They give their greetingto the citadel；This likewiseis a friend
CASSIO
See fot the news．
［Exit Gentleman］
Good ancient，you are welcome．
［To EMILIA］
Welcome，mistress．
Let it not gallyour patience，good Iago，
That I extend my manners；’tismy breeding
That gives me this boldshow of courtesy．
［Kissing her］
IAGO
Sir，would she give you so much of her lips
As of her tongue she oftbestowson me，
You’ll have enough．
DESDEMONA
Alas，she has no speech．
IAGO
In faith，too much；
I find it still，when I have listto sleep：
Marry，before your ladyship，I grant ，
She puts her tongue a little in her heart，
And chideswith thinking．
EMILIM
You have little causeto say so．
IAGO
Come on，come on；you are pictures out of doors，
Bells in your parlors，wild-cats in your kitchens，
Saintsm your injuries，devils being offended，
Players in your housewifery，and housewives’in your beds．
DESDEMONA
O，fie upon thee，slanderer！
IAGO
Nay，it is true，or else I am a Turk ：
You rise to play and go to bed to work．
EMILIA
You shall not write my praise
IAGO
No，let me not.
DESDEMONA
What wouldstthouwrite of me，if thou shouldst prsise me？
IAGO
O gentle lady，do not put me to’t；
For I am nothing，if not critical．
DFSDEMONA
Come on assay．There’s one gone to the harbour？
IAGO
Ay，madam．
DESDEMONA
I am not merry；but I do beguile
The thing I am，by seeming otherwise．
Come，how wouldst thou praise me？
IAGO
I am about it；but indeed my invention
Comes from my pate as birdlime does from frize;
It plucks out brains and all: but my Muse labours,
And thus She is deliver’d,
The one’s for use, the other useth it.
DESDEMONA
Well praised!How if she be black and witty?
IAGO
If she be black, and thereto have a wit,
She’ll find a white that shall her blackness fit.
DESDEMONA
Worse and worse.
EMILIA
How if fair and foolish？
IAGO
She never yet was foolish that was fair；
For even her folly help’d her to an heir．
DESDEMONA
These are old fond paradoxes to make fools laugh i’
the alehouse．What miserable praise hast thou for
her that’s foul and foolish？
IAGO
There’s none so foul and foolish thereunto， But does foul pranks
which fair and wise ones do．
DESDEMONA
O heavy ignorance！thou praisest the worst best．
But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving womani
ndeed，one that，in the authority of hermerit，did justly put on
the vouch of very malice itself？
IAGO
She that was ever fair and never proud．
Had tongue at will and yet was never loud，
Never lack’d gold and yet went never gay ，
Fled from her wish and yet said ‘Now I may，’
She that being anger’d， her revengebeing nigh，
Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly，
She that in wisdomnever was so frail
To change the cod’s head for the salmon’s tail；
She that could think and ne’er disclose her mind，
See suitorsfollowing and not look behind，
She was a wight，if ever such wight were，——
DESDEMONA
To do what？
IAGO
To suckle fools and chronicle small beer．
DESDEMONA
O most lame and impotentconclusion！Do not learn
of him，Emilia，though he be thy husband．How say
you， Cassio？is he not a most profaneand liberal counsellor？
CASSIO
He speaks home，madam：You may relish him more in
the soldier than in the scholar．
IAGO
[Aside] He takes her by the palm：ay，well said，
whisper ： with as little a web as this will I
ensnare as great a flyas Cassio．Ay，smile upon
her，do；I will gyve theein thine own courtship．
You say true；’tis so， indeed： if such tricks as
these strip you out of your lieutenantry，it had
been better you had not kissed your three fingers so
oft， which now again you are most apt to play the
sir in ．Very good；well kissed！an excellent
courtesy！’tis so， indeed．Yet again your fingers
to your lips ？would they were clyster－pipes for your sake！
[Trumpet within]
The Moor！ I know his trumpet．
CASSIO
‘Tis truly so．
DESDEMONA
Let’s meet him and receivehim．
CASSIO
Lo， where he comes！
[Enter OTHELLO and Attendants]
OTHELLO
O my fair warrior！
DESDEMONA
My dear Othello！
OTHELLO
It gives me wondergreat as my content
To see you here before me． O my soul’s joy！
If after every tempest come such calms，
May the winds blowtill they have waken’d death！
And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas
Olympus-high and duckagain as low
As hell’sfrom heaven！If it were now to die，
‘Twerenow to be most happy；for，I fear，
My soul hath her content so absolute
That not another comfort like to this
Succeedsin unknown fate．
DESDEMONA
The heavens forbid
But that our loves and comforts should increase，
Even as our days do grow！
OTHELLO
Amento that，sweet powers！
I cannot speak enought of this content；
It stops me here；it is too much of joy：
And this，and this， the greatest discords be
[kissing her]
That e’er our hearts shall make！
IAGO
[Aside] O，you are well tunednow！
But I’ll set down the pegs that make this music，
As honest as I am．
OTHELLO
Come，let us to the castle．
News，friends；our wars are done，the Turks are drown’d ．
How does my old acquaintanceof this isle？
Honey，you shall be well desired in Cyprus；
I have found great love amongstthem．O my sweet，
I prattleout of fashion， and I dote
In mine own comforts ．I prithee，good Iago，
Go to the bay and disembark my coffers ：
Bring thou the master to the citadel；
He is a good one， and his worthiness
Does challenge much respect．Come，Desdemona，
Once more，well met at Cyprus．
[Exeunt OTHELLO，DESDEMONA，and Attendants]
IAGO
Do thou meet me presently at the harbour．Come
hither． If thou be’st valiant，——as，they say，base
men being in love have then a nobility in their
natures more than is native to them ——list me．The
lieutenant tonight watches on the court of
guard ：——first，I must tell thee this——Desdemona is
directly in love with him．
RODERIGO
With him！why，’tis not possible
IAGO
Lay thy finger thus，and let thy soul be instructed．
Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor，
but for braggingand telling her fantasticallies：
and will she love him still for prating？let not
thy discreet heart think it．Her eye must be fed；
and what delight shall she have to look on the
devil？ When the blood is made dull with the act of
sport，there should be，again to in flame it and to
give satiety a fresh appetite，loveliness in favour，
sympathy in years，manners and beauties；all which
the Moor is defective in：now，for want of these
required conveniences， her delicate tendemess will
find itself abused，begin to heave the gorge，
disrelish and abhor the Moor；very nature will
instruct her in it and compel her to some second
choice．Now，sir，this granted，——as it is a most
pregnantand unforced position——who stands so
eminent in the degree of this fortune as Cassio
does？a knave very voluble； no further
conscionablethan in putting on the mere form of
civil and humane seeming ， for the better compassing
of his saltand most hidden loose affection？why，
none； why， none：a slipper and subtle knave，a
finder of occasions，that has an eye can stampand
counterfeitadvantages， though true advantage never
present itself；a devilish knave． Besides，the
knave is handsome，young，and hath all those
requisitesin him that folly and green minds look
after：a pestilentcomplete knave；and the woman
hath found him already．
RODERIGO
I cannot believe that in her； she’s full of
most blessed condition．
IAGO
Blessed fig’s-end！the wine she drinks is made of
grapes：if she had been blessed，she would never
have loved the Moor． Blessed pudding！Didst thou
not see her paddle with the palm of his hand？ didst not mark that？
RODERIGO
Yes， that I did；but that was but courtesy．
IAGO
Lechery， by this hand； an index and obscureprologue
to the history of lust and foul thoughts．They met
so near with their lips that their breaths embraced
together．Villanous thoughts， Roderigo！when these
mutualitiesso marshal the way，hard at hand comes
the master and main exercise，the incorporate
conclusion，Pish！But，sir，be you ruled by me：I
have brought you from Venice．Watch you to-night；
for the command，I’ll lay’t upon you． Cassio knows
you not．I’ll not be far from you：do you find
some occasion to anger Cassio，either by speaking
too loud，or taintinghis discipline；or from what
other course you please，which the time shall more
favourably minister．
RODERIGO
Well．
IAGO
Sir，he is rash and very sudden in choler，and haply
may strike at you：provokehim，that he may；for
even out of that will I cause these of Cyprus to
mutiny； whose qualification shall come into no true
taste again but by the displantingof Cassio．So
shall you have a shorter journey to your desires by
the means I shall then have to prefer them； and the
impedimentmost profitably removed， without the
which there were no expectation of our prosperity
RODERIGO
I will do this，if I can bring it to any
opportunity
IAGO
I warrant thee．Meet me by and by at the citadel：
I must fetch his necessariesashore．Farewell．
RODERIGO
Adieu．
[Exit]
IAGO
That Cassio loves her，I do well believe it；
That she loves him，’tis apt and of great credit：
The Moor，howbeitthat I endurehim not，
Is of a constant， loving，noble nature，
And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona
A most dear husband．Now，I do love her too；
Not out of absolute lust， though peradventure
I stand accountantfor as great a sin，
But partly led to dietmy revenge，
For that I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath leap’d into my seat；the thought whereof
Doth，like a poisonous mineral， gnawmy inwards；
And nothing can or shall content my soul
Till I even’d with him，wife for wife，
Or failing so， yet that I put the Moor
At least into a jealousyso strong
That judgment cannot cure．Which thing to do，
If this poor trashof Venice，whom I trash
For his quick hunting，stand the putting on，
I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip，
Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb-
For I fear Cassio with my night-cap too——
Make the Moor thank me，love me and rewardme．
For making him egregiouslyan ass
And practising upon his peace and quiet
Even to madness．’Tis here，but yet confused：
Knavery’splain face is never seen tinused．
[Exit]